Unlimited
by MoonytheMarauder1
Summary: Sirius Black died with more honor than his father had, in Teddy's opinion. Harry is there to set him straight.


**A/N: Hey y'all! This was written for THC and Hogwarts. Prompts are below :)**

**Word Count: 998**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling.**

**Foreign Exchange Task 4: Write about an orphan**

**THC: **

**House: Slytherin**

**Subject: Care of Magical Creatures**

**Category: Drabble**

**Prompt: (object) motorbike**

**WARNINGS: Mourning, referenced canon character death**

**Enjoy!**

Teddy glanced about the garden, ensuring that no one was near the shed he was quickly approaching. The last thing he wanted was an audience; this ritual was strange even to him.

But something kept compelling him to come back.

Teddy crept over to the back of the shed and removed a tarp that was carefully placed over an object, revealing the motorbike hidden beneath. Teddy, as he did each night, let his hands run over the handlebars, marvelling at the vehicle in front of him. He trembled, but there was no one there to witness him, so he didn't bother feeling embarrassed.

"Man," he whispered to the bike, "you have no idea how much I've missed you."

It wasn't the bike he was really talking to, though; he was speaking to an invisible ghost, a made-up memory of a person he'd only heard stories about. Sirius Black had been a hero, his life lost when he bravely fought to protect his godson.

It was so different from how Teddy's father had died. Remus had left a peaceful home to engage in a battle; he hadn't come home. Teddy was fourteen and furious that his father had found it so easy to leave him.

But it killed him, absolutely killed him, that he was angry with a man he knew had loved him. He was angry with himself for worshipping a man he'd never known and for trying to forget about a father he'd known for only a month.

Teddy slid his hands across the leather seat, tears springing into his (currently green) eyes.

"Teddy? Is this where you've been disappearing to every night for the past month and a half?"

Teddy whirled around, his heart in his mouth. In the doorway of the shed he saw Harry, his own godfather, holding a beer loosely in one hand and looking thoroughly unimpressed.

Teddy ran a hand through his hair, biting his lip. "Er. Hullo."

"It's not funny, you know." Harry gestured behind him to the Burrow. "We've noticed you wandering off and were worried."

"I'm okay."

"Teddy."

"I've just been admiring the bike. It must have been a beast on the road." He dragged his eyes back towards the bike. "Good quality, too."

"_Teddy_."

"I don't see the problem."

Harry closed his eyes; Teddy realized he'd copied Harry's exact shade and debated morphing his eyes to another shade. He decided against it. Harry drained the last of his beer before turning to Teddy; if he'd had liquid courage available, Teddy would've used it, too.

"Teddy, I can tell when there's something you're not telling me. And there's nothing enchanting about that bike—so don't try to tell me you've been coming out here to see it."

Teddy fell silent, avoiding his godfather's gaze. "I… I dunno. It's not important."

Harry tilted his head to the side, and Teddy knew that he hadn't convinced the older man in the slightest. "You know, Teddy… it's an unpopular topic of discussion, but it's okay to feel grief."

Well, that was just the problem, wasn't it? He was mourning the wrong man. That was something Harry would _never _be able to understand.

Teddy turned away. "It's not _important_."

"How long have you been coming here, Teddy?"

"You mean, how long have I had this old thing?" He pointed to the bike. "I've had it for days. Found it when Grandad Arthur asked me to help clear out the shed—"

"Teddy Remus, that's not what I mean and you know it." Harry walked over to Teddy, a crease between his brows. "Tell me how long you've been sneaking out here."

Teddy looked at his shoes. "Over a month, now."

"Right." Harry placed a hand on his godson's shoulder. "And why have you been coming?"

Teddy's eyes were wide as he stared up at Harry. "Sirius must've been pretty cool."

Harry didn't say anything; he just waited until Teddy couldn't hold back any longer.

"He… died protecting you. He died because he had to. My dad didn't have to die, he… he _chose_ to."

With those words, Teddy's composure crumbled. He felt Harry pull him into a hug as he began shaking, and he gripped Harry's shoulders tightly.

"Dad left me," he gasped out. "He didn't have to go—Mum went to try and protect him, at least—but he didn't have to _go_."

"Teddy…" Harry's voice was thick with emotion. "Remus loved you so, so much—"

"I know that they were fighting for a better world," Teddy interrupted bitterly. "I know they wanted to save everyone. I see their pain. On some level I even _understand_ their pain. I just can't feel their pain. They…" They'd left him. They'd made him feel invisible. "There's nothing left to say anymore," he mumbled.

"No." Harry pulled back, staring at Teddy sternly. "Listen, you were their light. The day you were born was the happiest I've ever seen Remus. He didn't run off to be a hero—he went to fight because he wanted to make certain that you would never have to. Sirius was forced to die for me, yes. So was my father. But Remus was forced to protect you in a different way, because he knew that you would be a target if Voldemort won—and he was determined to eliminate that threat any way he could."

Harry pressed a kiss to Teddy's temple, and Teddy melted into the fatherly embrace. "He did it just for you, Teddy. And it's okay to grieve him… it's okay to be angry. But he loved you enough to leave you and try to make your future brighter; never forget that."

Tears rolled down Teddy's cheeks as he buried his face in Harry's chest. He glanced back at the motorbike and thought that, maybe, his father's sacrifice had not been a pointless one. Maybe it had been just as significant as Sirius' and James'.

"Okay." It was all he could manage, but Harry squeezed him tighter and he knew it was enough.

**A/N:**

**WC: Assorted Appreciation: 23. "Man, you have no idea how much I've missed you."**

**WC: Disney Challenge: C2. write about someone with a heart of gold**

**WC: Trope of the Month: 19. "This old thing? I've had it for days."**

**WC: Space: 6. Write about grief**

**WC: Book Club: Leper: (word) unpopular, (emotion) fury, (word) witness**

**WC: Showtime: 6. (word) beast**

**WC: Amber's Attic: 8. (character) Teddy Lupin**

**WC: Sophie's Shelf: 8. "There's nothing left to say anymore."**

**WC: Liza's Loves: 6. "We loved with a love that was more than love." - Edgar Allan Poe**

**WC: Angel's Archives: 8. Write about a character sharing their love and devotion to someone else**

**WC: Scamander's Case: 3-2. (word) invisible**

**WC: Bex's Basement: 2. "I see their pain. On some level I even understand their pain. I just can't feel their pain."**

**WC: Film Festival: 13. (theme) a parent's love**

**WC: Marvel Appreciation: 20. (action) drinking alcohol**

**WC: Lyric Alley: 10. I can't let this, I can't let this, I can't let this go**

**Game Night: Left Hand: 6. Pulling someone into a hug/Right Foot: 1. The Burrow**

**Mythology: 5. (word) enchanting**

**Supermarket: 10. (genre) hurt/comfort**

**What's Cooking: 4. (genre) hurt/comfort**

**Fortnightly: Frenzy: 6. (color) green**

**Stickers: Rare: The Burrow**

**365: 67. quality**

**Insane: 242. (dialogue) "Is this where you've been disappearing to every night for the past month and a half?"**


End file.
